HERITAGE FROM PAINTING TO PHOTOGRAPHY: CONTRIBUTIONS OF BOTTICELLI, CARAVAGGIO AND REMBRANDT TO THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The Renaissance, which began in Italy in the late 14th century, initiated a profound intellectual, artistic, and scientific transformation across Europe, establishing a human-centered worldview and an analytical approach to nature as fundamental principles of art. One of the leading artists of this period, Botticelli, reflected the classical aesthetic with idealized forms, linear composition, perspective, and figurative expression, thus laying a foundational framework for the future of visual arts. By the 17th century, Baroque art emerged as a reaction against the balanced and ordered structure of the Renaissance, bringing forward a new visual language that emphasized dramatic expression, intense chiaroscuro (light-shadow), movement, and emotional depth. Caravaggio, with his directed use of light and dramatic storytelling, defined the core aesthetic principles of Baroque, while Rembrandt revolutionized portraiture with his mastery of light-shadow interplay and psychological depth. This paper examines the evolution of painting, from Botticelli’s classical approach to the innovative techniques of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and explores the impact of this transformation on photography. A comparative evaluation of visual elements such as light-shadow use, depth, volume, perspective, and proportion provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the aesthetic and technical legacy of painting in photography, illustrating the role of the artistic shift from the Renaissance to the Baroque period in shaping the development of photographic art.